DadAwesome

DA455 | You Don't Have to Figure It Out, Fierce Mastery, and Exploring Your Child's Heart (Pablo Ceron PART 2)

When the bill shows up, the check engine light blinks, or your kid ignores you for the third time, you respond as an orphan, a slave, or a son. In Part 2 of this conversation, Pablo Ceron walks through the frontiers of adversity, fierce mastery, and love, and shows how each one is an invitation to be fathered by God. You'll also hear the simple question that opens the door to repair with your kids when you blow it. KELLER, TX DadAwesome Dessert Gathering (Sunday, Oct 18th, 2026) - RSVP Form Key Takeaways The belief that "life is up to me" is the mark of an orphan heart. Your Father is inviting you to stop figuring it out alone. Adversity threatens the orphan and exhausts the slave, but for a son it's a sparring ring with a Father in his corner. When your kids have seen you react poorly, repair. Own your part, ask forgiveness, and ask, "What's been your experience of me?" The places where you feel unskilled aren't a verdict on your manhood. They're an invitation to ask, "Father, would you teach me?" Love is the greatest frontier, and it calls you to explore the hearts of your wife and kids instead of controlling their behavior. GUEST Pablo Ceron is the Founder and President of WILDSONS, a non-profit dedicated to helping men recover their wild hearts and become the men, husbands, fathers, and leaders they were born to be. He has been a speaker, teacher, and leader in men's formation for over 15 years. Pablo and his wife, Juanita, live in Miami, Florida, with their two sons, Mateo and Lucas. Key Quotes "Life is about an adventure to be lived with our Father, not a problem to be solved." (23:42) "No one is behind. We are right on time in our failures, in our brokenness, in our blowing it." (40:35) "Adversity for the son, however, is the sparring ring." (15:05) "The lack of proficiency, the lack of skill, is not a report card on who you are as a man. It's simply a reflection that you have not yet been initiated." (28:49) "I'm modeling our Father. I'm telling him with my actions who our Father is." (23:20) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 The DADAWESOME book WILDSONS: https://wildsons.com About Pablo Ceron: https://wildsons.com/pablo - The Muster (WILDSONS retreat) - https://wildsons.com/muster FULLY ALIVE Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/455

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DA454 | Adventure, Adversity, and Remembering What God Has Done (Pablo Ceron, Part 1)

The life you're longing for as a dad is almost always on the other side of discomfort. In this episode, Pablo Ceron explains why adventure and adversity are the training ground God uses to father you and how you can guide your kids through both. You'll also hear why pausing to remember what God has done prepares you for whatever comes next. Key Takeaways Maximizing comfort and convenience leads to a dull heart. Men come alive when they step into a story bigger than themselves. Life is not a problem to be solved. It's an invitation into adventure with a good Father. In the middle of conflict, your wife is not your enemy. Be fierce against the real enemy and tender toward her. Your job isn't to remove adversity from your kids. It's to create a safe place for them to test their strength and discover they have what it takes. You are not your child's only father. Offer your portion, then point them to the Father for the rest. Milestones are mile markers. Pausing to retell the story helps you remember who God is and who you're becoming. GUEST Pablo Ceron is the Founder and President of WILDSONS, a non-profit dedicated to helping men recover their wild hearts and become the men, husbands, fathers, and leaders they were born to be. He has been a speaker, teacher, and leader in men's formation for over 15 years. Pablo and his wife, Juanita, live in Miami, Florida, with their two sons, Mateo and Lucas. LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 The DADAWESOME book WILDSONS: https://wildsons.com About Pablo Ceron: https://wildsons.com/pablo - The Muster (WILDSONS retreat) - https://wildsons.com/muster FULLY ALIVE Show notes: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/454

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DA453 | Building Deep Friendships as a Man, with Wayne Francis

SUMMARY Most men aren't isolated because no one's around — they're isolated because they've never learned to be asked the right questions. In this episode, Pastor Wayne Francis returns to DadAwesome to unpack his new book, Make Friends with Anyone, sharing his sunbathers-to-submariners framework and the "six-pack" of vital friendships every man needs. It's an honest, funny, and convicting conversation about calendars, clarity, and why your kids are watching how you do friendship long before they ever try it themselves. Takeaways Isolation often masquerades as independence — men blame "not having anybody" instead of recognizing they've chosen to be self-reliant. Friendships exist on levels — sunbathers, surfers, snorkelers, scuba divers, and submariners — and problems happen when we give submarine-level access to sunbather-level friends. Your calendar (and photo album) is the truest record of what you actually value — not what you say you value. Every man needs a "six-pack": six vital, diverse friends who get priority access to his time and get told they're in that circle. Cleaning out and grieving friendships that have run their season is healthy, not disloyal — friends aren't disposable, but their role in your life should be reassessed. GUEST Wayne Francis and his wife, Claudene (whom he affectionately calls "Classy"), are the lead pastors of The Life Church – New York in Westchester County, a suburb of NYC. Wayne previously founded and led Authentic Church, which merged with The Life Church in early 2020. A dynamic communicator, he's passionate about building the local church and helping people find real life in Jesus. Wayne and Claudene have been married for 25 years and have two teenage daughters, Haleigh and Ryleigh. When he's not preaching, Wayne can usually be found out cycling or turning any available floor into a dance floor. Quotes (Wayne Francis) "I think that Jesus elevated a theology of friendship that we overlook." "In order for people to become vulnerable, it's not like I can just tell you something — I actually need to be asked. Question asking is an art." "Your calendar is the best preacher of your life." "You can't have the best of God without having the best and the worst of each other." "For men, you should have a six-pack — six vital friends that you would drop everything for." LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 The DADAWESOME book Make Friends with Anyone by Wayne Francis ShowMeMyFriends.com (free friendship assessment) Primal Question by Mike Foster

DA452 | FROM THE VAULT: Redefining Success, Abiding in Christ, and Becoming a Whole Hearted Dad (Banning Liebscher)

This is a FROM THE VAULT episode, originally recorded almost three years ago, but the message hits just as hard today. In this conversation, Banning Liebscher opens up about the wrong definition of success that keeps dads stuck on autopilot, and why the goal was never to work harder but to abide more. If you've ever felt busy but not sure you're actually hitting the mark as a father, this replay is for you. TAKEAWAYS The danger for dads isn't a lack of activity, it's activity that isn't going anywhere because success was never clearly defined. Becoming world class at fatherhood starts with being both self aware and others aware, so you understand how your presence impacts the people you love. How you love your children is one of the clearest ways God's love gets revealed to them. True success won't be measured in accomplishments or attention, it will be measured by the people you poured your life into. The goal isn't to work harder as a dad, it's to abide more deeply in the Father's love, since everything sustainable flows from that place of intimacy. GUEST Banning Liebscher is a pastor, speaker, and author. Along with his wife, SeaJay, he founded Jesus Culture, a ministry of worship, conferences, and leadership development. Together they have three young adult children: Ellianna, Raya, and Lake. Top 7 Quotes "Being a great father takes a massive amount of courage." "The danger for dads is not a lack of activity, it's activity that's not going anywhere." "The goal is not to work harder, it's to abide more." "Being self aware and others aware" is what dads have to master. "How you love your children will reveal God's love to them." "We loved Him because He first loved us." "Being a dad is hands down the biggest sacrifice I've ever had to make." LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 The DADAWESOME book Learn about Jesus Culture The Flip Side by Flip Flippen

DA451 | David's Mighty Men, the Heart of a Warrior, and Why an Aimless Dad Leaves a Family Unmoored (Cliff Graham)

Join the DadAwesome PRAYER TEAM: Recieve updates on the 20-minute DadAwesome prayer Zoom Calls on Mondays/Fridays: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 EPISODE SUMMARY: Most men have never pictured David's mighty men as real flesh and blood warriors who bled, prayed, and screamed to God for covering before they ever swung a sword. In this episode, novelist and Army veteran Cliff Graham shares what twenty years inside the world of the Old Testament taught him about sacrifice, mentorship, and becoming the kind of father whose absence is felt when he's gone. You'll also hear why your kids see the things you thought you did in the dark, and why aimlessness in a dad leaves an entire family unmoored. TAKEAWAYS: Your kids are watching at all times. The thing you think you did in the dark and nobody noticed is the thing they saw. The toughest men in scripture didn't charge in confident in their own abilities. They cried out for God's covering first, and so should you. Sacrificial choices still count when your heart isn't in them. Decide through the paradigm of what's best for your family, however you're feeling, and God honors that choice. Invite your kids into your work and into your worst days. Let them see how you respond when everything falls apart. Male mentorship is disappearing. Find the man who is twenty years ahead of you, who will sit in your pain and call you out on your stuff. BIO Cliff Graham is an author and U.S. Army veteran best known for the Lion of War series, an epic retelling of the lives of David's mighty men that has been translated into seven languages and hit bestseller lists. He has spent extensive time in Israel researching the world of the Old Testament, and has also written Shadow of the Mountain (Caleb) and The Boundary of Blood (Shamgar). When he isn't writing, he works as a railroader in the western United States. He and his wife, Cassandra, have four children, three of them sons. QUOTES "It's not an awesome dad if you're aimless." (17:40) "Every little thing that a guy does that he thinks, 'I did this in the dark and no one cares' — you'd be surprised what your kids are seeing all the time." (14:05) "He didn't charge into the fight endlessly confident in his own abilities. He was screaming to God for covering." (11:00) "Just to be a dad that the loss is felt when you go is so important." (19:50) "There's nothing in this life that gives you anything near the joy and satisfaction of being a dad. There's just nothing." (22:47) LINKS Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 The DADAWESOME book Day of War by Cliff Graham (Lion of War, Book 1) The Lion of War series (Kavod Press):Day of War, Covenant of War, Song of War, Fires of War, and the fifth book releasing this year The Boundary of Blood by Cliff Graham (Shamgar) Shadow of the Mountain by Cliff Graham (Caleb) Cliff Graham's newsletter: lionofwar.substack.com Psalm 140:7 — "O Lord God of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle" 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11 — the mighty men Field of Dreams (film) Cinderella Man (film) Braveheart (film)

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DA450 | Running 24 Hours for Freedom, Writing Birthday Letters, and Why Family Mission Beats Solo Missions (Brent Silkey)

SUMMARY Your words become your child's inner voice, for better or for worse. In this episode, Brent Silkey shares the practice he's kept without missing a single year — a handwritten letter to each of his four kids on every birthday, so that by graduation they'll hold an 18-year catalog of God's faithfulness over their life. Recorded in the pouring rain during Brent's 24-hour run for freedom, this conversation will challenge you to speak life over your family, stop settling for comfort, and take the next step you already know you need to take. TAKEAWAYS You can do hard things, or you can have hard things happen to you. Dads who train themselves — physically, spiritually, emotionally — build a reservoir their whole family draws from. Your words are the foundation blocks of your family's culture. Brent has written and read a letter to each of his four kids on every birthday, so by graduation they'll hold an 18-year catalog of God's faithfulness over their life. Big vision belongs to the whole family, not just to dad. Bike rides became park days, marathons became bake sales and jewelry stands, and the kids caught the heart without ever being told to. Freedom from pornography is one of the greatest gifts a dad can give. Shame keeps men isolated; rootedness in a real community — not a la carte Christianity — is where the healing starts. You'll never regret investing more in your family. You'll know your kids as adults far longer than you knew them as kids, so when they say "up," pick them up. QUOTES "By the time they graduate high school, they'll have a catalog of God's faithfulness over 18 years in these letters." "You can either do hard things or you can have hard things happen to you." "Do something you've never done to reach someone that's not yet been reached." "This is a family thing, not a Brent thing." "The most life-changing question outside of the gospel being shared was, What's my next obedience step?" "We can be people who speak life over our families, life over our kids. It really goes a long way." GUEST Brent Silkey is the founder of 30 for Freedom, a ministry mobilizing runners to rescue girls out of trafficking. He's completed 71+ marathons and ultras — including seven marathons on seven continents in seven days — and has helped raise more than $4.3 million for freedom. Brent also directs Chi Alpha at the University of St. Thomas and runs with UNRL. Adopted from South Korea as a baby, he and his wife live in Minnesota with their four kids: two daughters, 14 and 11, and two sons, 8 and 5. This fall he's taking on 40 for Freedom — running 40 miles for his 40th birthday and inviting 40 leaders to multiply the vision toward $300,000 raised in a single day. LINKS Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 The DadAwesome book (search "dadawesome" on Amazon) 30 for Freedom: https://www.instagram.com/30forfreedom/ Brent Silkey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brentsilkey/ Brent Silkey's 40 for Freedom Challenge Chi Alpha at University of St. Thomas: https://www.instagram.com/ust_xa/ UNRL: https://www.instagram.com/unrlco/ The Great World Race Episode page will be: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/450

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DA449 | MULTIPLIERS Part 7: The Italian Angel, Small Yeses Multiplied by 100, and Why You Can't Control Your Kids (Ft. Danny Silk)

SUMMARY Most of us move through our days on autopilot, heads down, running our own agenda. The struggling dad at church, the neighbor whose marriage is barely holding on, the single mom wrestling groceries into her car — we walk right past. In Part 7 of the Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 29 of the DadAwesome book and shares an archive clip with Danny Silk about the isolation trap, why control is the wrong tool for fathering, and what a home that resembles heaven actually feels like. Key Takeaways God doesn't watch from the bleachers. He jumps into the mess with us, and He often chooses to answer desperate prayers through ordinary people who are willing to notice and respond. You already have what someone needs. Our Italian angel offered three things any of us can give: time, trust, and troubleshooting. Not more resources — just a willingness to make available what's already in your hands. Interruptions are often God appointments. When someone opens up about their pain, that's not small talk. It's a door opening. Isolation is the enemy's trap for men. Alone, you become master and ruler of your own reality, and that's the fast track to deception. Multiplication requires brotherhood. You cannot control your children — so learn to control yourself. When intimidation or the threat of punishment is the most-used tool in your toolbox, you've built a culture in your home that doesn't resemble heaven. A small yes can get multiplied by 100. A bold prayer for $10,000 became more than $1 million raised for the fatherless across 30 events and over 1,000 men. Quotes "God jumps into our mess with us. He's not watching from the bleachers." (05:35) "Every day we walk past people having their own version of lost in Florence." (06:15) "You don't need more to make a big difference. You've already got what someone desperately needs. You just need to be willing to share it." (11:15) "I'm learning to see struggling people as potential God appointments instead of interruptions." (11:30) "As fathers, we teach our children more through our responses to others' needs than through our lectures about compassion." (12:40) "God takes our small yes and multiplies it into something far bigger than we imagined." (16:45) "The trap of the enemy for men in particular is isolation. Because now you become master and ruler of reality, and that is the fast track to deception." (19:20) — Danny Silk "When the most used tool in my toolbox as a parent is some form of intimidation or the threat of punishment, then I have created a culture in my home that does not resemble heaven." (20:45) — Danny Silk "My Father is much more concerned about my heart connection to Him than He is controlling me." (21:40) — Danny Silk "If you don't learn to control yourself, you are out of control." (22:20) — Danny Silk Action Steps: I. Reflection Name your phase. Childish, young adult, young married, young dad, wise dad — where are you actually living right now? Who have you walked past? Think back over the last month. Who could have used a pause in your care? Take inventory. Time, trust, troubleshooting. Skills, margin, network, resources, lived experience. What do you have that someone else might be desperate for? II. Multiplication Where are you isolated? You will not see a multiplication miracle alone. Name the guys in your foxhole, or admit you need to build that crew. Serve with someone. When a dad needs help with a yard project, bring another dad along. Friendship grows shoulder to shoulder. Find the side door. Pick a date and a challenge rather than "let's just sit and talk." A race, a ride, a project — action is often the side door to a man's heart. III. Activation Pray for a God appointment this week. Stay alert for the person who needs time, generosity, care, or counsel. Let your kids watch. Go out of your way to show compassion within sight of your children. Don't hustle on to the next thing. Run the small yes. Is there something God put on your heart that you keep postponing? What if now is the time? Run it as an experiment — what could it hurt?

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DA448 | MULTIPLIERS Part 6: The Purple Carabiner, Delighting in What They Delight In, and Kind Fathering from a Stranger (Ft. Alex Burton)

SUMMARY: Most of us parent from what we already know and love. We steer our kids toward the sports we played and the interests we developed, and then we wait for them to get excited about our world. In Part 6 of the Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 23 of the DadAwesome book and shares an archive clip with Alex Burton about a prayer, a purple carabiner, and a campfire question that changed everything. TAKEAWAYS Delight in what they delight in. Stop waiting for your kids to get excited about your world and step into theirs instead. Our Heavenly Father does not just tolerate what we care about. He delights in it. He came down instead of making us climb up. Ask the men who know you best: what do you see in my life that I am not seeing, and what am I missing? Then do not get defensive. Write down what they say. Connection is worth the sacrifice. The cost is not always money. Sometimes it is time, and sometimes it is setting aside your preferences for theirs. Pause and pray before you show up. Alex asked God what to bring before he ever left his house, and a child he had never met walked away knowing she was known. Guest Alex Burton is an outdoors enthusiast, a climber, and a father of three. He and his wife, Mel, have been married more than 26 years. Alex serves on the staff team at Wild at Heart. His full conversation with Jeff is Episode 297. QUOTES "I experienced something I can only describe as kind fathering from a complete stranger." (04:30) "This wasn't just a piece of climbing equipment anymore. It was proof that someone saw her. Someone cared about what brought her joy. God knew her favorite color, and He used Alex to show her." (04:50) "Alex, right now, if I could choose who'd be around this campfire with, I would choose my son. Can you say the same?" (06:30) "You don't need to become an expert in what your kids love. You just need to show up and jump in. When you step into their world, you're reflecting how God treats us. He came down instead of making us climb up." (10:20) "It wasn't even so much, it could have been anything, but it was purple." (13:20) Alex Burton ACTION STEPS I. Reflection Name what each child delights in. Write down each kid's name, and next to it, what they are into right now. Legos, surfing, bike rides, theater, dance, soccer. If you are not sure, that is your invitation to get curious. Find where you are resisting. Is there a passion of theirs that annoys you, crowds your calendar, or that you secretly hope they outgrow? Name it, then go a step deeper and ask why your heart is positioned that way. Ask if your kids know they are delighted in. Do they know that your favorite role in life, outside of being married to their mom, is being their dad? Try asking them directly: do you have any idea how much I love you? Then watch their eyes. II. Multiplication Ask the campfire question. Take it to two or three friends: what do you see in my life that I am not seeing, and what am I missing? Do not defend yourself. Just write it down. Be an Alex for another dad. Alex took a half day off work for a family he had never met. Could you take time off, help with a project, or create a moment for another dad and his kids? Send a joy bomb. An unexpected gift at an unexpected time, to your wife, your kids, or a dad who is grinding. No occasion required. III. Activation Pray before you show up. Before the recital, the game, or youth group pickup, pause in the car and ask God if there is something He wants you to bring or say. The pause is huge. Jump into their world this week. Research what they love. Show up with a surprising level of joyful curiosity and joyful participation. Put something in their hand. Something small from the store or ordered online, given for no reason, with the words: I see you, I love you, I delight in you. Pray Zephaniah 3:17 over each child by name, out loud, this week. Insert their name into the verse and let it reshape how you pray for them. LINKS Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 297 | Cultivating a Prayer Life, Sharing Joy Bombs, and Delighting in What Your Kids Delight In (Alex Burton) DadAwesome LABS from Chapter 23: The Purple Carabiner Principle Zephaniah 3:17 Wild at Heart Ministry

DA447 | MULTIPLIERS Part 5: A Million Ants in Our RV, Guarding the Doorways, and Freedom That Fights for Others (Ft. Zach Neese)

Summary A $30 campsite with a canyon view felt like hitting the jackpot… until Jeff flipped on the lights and watched the floor move. In part five of the DadAwesome Multipliers series, Jeff reads Chapter 19 of the book, "Ant Attack," and unpacks what a million ants taught him about spotting threats, sealing entry points, and cleaning up what already got inside. Then Zach Neese joins with a sobering four minutes on the doorways we open without realizing it, and why nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you. Heads up: this episode is not designed for little ears. The conversation goes into spiritual warfare, darkness, and the ways private choices affect the people we love most. Top 5 Takeaways The first few ants are scouts, not the problem. Train yourself to look past what's obvious and ask harder questions about attitudes, friend groups, and entertainment choices before they become a full scale invasion. Real freedom propels you to lead. Freedom is not permission to do whatever you want. Healing, forgiveness, and wholeness are what unlock your ability to serve and protect the people God gave you. Threats come through old bridges and new ones. The septic hose was modern convenience turned against them. The tree branches were nature's ancient highway. The tactics evolve, but the goal stays the same. Sealing the doors is not enough. You have to deal with what already got inside, and then intentionally replace it with something life giving. Removing the threat is not the same as restoration. Nobody else in this world is going to guard your house but you. Not schools, not church, not extended family. The assignment is yours, and it takes courage plus God's strength. 5 Quotes "Real freedom propels us to lead. That healing, forgiveness, and wholeness unlock our ability to serve and love the way God designed." (Jeff Zaugg) "A dad fighting his own addiction can't guard his family's doorways. A father still carrying his childhood anger can't see the real threats to his kids." (Jeff Zaugg) "Every open door is a spiritual gateway." (Zach Neese) "We give him permission all the time to rearrange the furniture, so to speak, in our hearts and our house, so that he is the only spirit that feels welcome here." (Zach Neese) "I wasn't just being entertained by a movie. I was being entertained by the spirit behind the movie. And that spirit wasn't just in my closet. That was roving through my house." (Zach Neese) Guest Bio Zach Neese is a pastor, worship leader, and author who has spent years teaching on worship, spiritual authority, and the doorways we open in our homes. His conversation with Jeff first aired on DadAwesome episode 159, and the clip featured in this episode digs into how entertainment choices, conflict patterns, and private habits can invite influences we never intended to host. (Verify current role and book title before publishing.) Action Steps Reflection Walk your doorways. Grab paper or a note on your phone and list them out: phones, tablets, gaming systems, streaming devices, specific apps, YouTube, Instagram. Look for the white powder. What warning signs have you driven past without asking questions? Notice the small stuff. What are the few ants on the countertop right now? An attitude, a mindset, an entertainment choice that could become a full scale assault? Check your own closet. What is hidden that you have convinced yourself is not really causing harm? Multiplication Who are the men who know what is in your closet? How do you close that gap this month? Share episode 447 with a few dads who are fighting for freedom alongside you. Read Nehemiah 4:13 and 14 with your family and unpack what it means to fight as a family. Listen to the full Zach Neese conversation in episode 159. Apply for the September DadAwesome Accelerator cohort. Activation Cut down one bridge this week. Remove a subscription, remove a device, create a new boundary. Pray out loud. Use the John Eldredge Daily Prayer and the head of household prayer. Out loud matters, because the enemy cannot hear your thoughts. Replace, do not just remove. Pick a book, a rhythm, or a practice to fill the space. Go deeper with the Chapter 19 DadAwesome Lab. LINKS Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DadAwesome Labs, Chapter 19 Episode 159 with Zach Neese https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/216 Entertaining Demons Unaware: Closing the Doors of Demonic Influence in your Life by Zach Neese John Eldredge Daily Prayer https://wildatheart.org/prayer/daily-prayer-john/ Galatians 5:13 Nehemiah 4:13 and 14

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DA446 | MULTIPLIERS Part 4: A Ring Lost in Five Acres, The Giant Five, and Turning Success Upside Down (Chad Johnson)

SUMMARY When Jeff's sister lost her engagement ring in a five acre pasture hours before her wedding rehearsal, a rope, a grid, and a prayer turned an impossible search into a three minute miracle. In part four of the DadAwesome Multipliers series, that story becomes a blueprint for intentional fatherhood built on three things: a system that works, partners in the search, and faith in what you cannot yet see. Chad Johnson joins with a segment unpacking his Giant Five framework and why putting career first costs a man everything that matters. KEY TAKEAWAYS Intentional dads need a system. Without one, you chase whatever is loudest instead of the people you love most. The Giant Five framework orders your priorities: faith, marriage, children, health, and work. Most men have that list upside down. You were never meant to search alone. Partners spot what you miss and call you higher when you drift. Love sometimes looks like challenge instead of comfort, especially when your kids are settling into ease. You don't have to search the whole field today. Move the rope a few feet and walk the line again. QUOTES "I really am okay with stirring the pot." (Chad Johnson) "Live like a movie you'd want to watch with your children and grandchildren." (Chad Johnson) "I call it turning success upside down." (Chad Johnson) "Any fruit that anybody ever sees in my life is in spite of me." (Chad Johnson) "Don't get overwhelmed with the entire field. One pass at a time." (Jeff Zaugg) ABOUT CHAD JOHNSON Chad Johnson is a father of eleven, an entrepreneur, and the creator of the Giant Five framework, a simple system for keeping faith, marriage, children, health, and calling in their right order. He is known for pushing his family toward character over comfort, including relocating them to Los Angeles for five months so his kids could work in his business facility. Chad previously joined DadAwesome for episodes 216 and 217. ACTION STEPS REFLECTION Map your fields. Get a piece of paper and map your current life as a dad. Where does connection feel distant? Is there a child where things feel cold? Where could you raise your game in pursuing your wife or your time with God? Be honest about the gap. Name what you are hoping for in each area. Without naming the hope, you cannot see the distance between where you are and where you want to be. Run the Giant Five. Faith, marriage, children, health, work. Pray through which one is currently getting your leftovers. For many men it is work that needs to be turned upside down. For others it is the opposite, and career needs more drive because provision is the real need. Celebrate one win. Look back and name one victory. Do not skip this part. MULTIPLICATION Name your partners. Who are the other dads in this adventure with you? Is there a rhythm of meeting? Is there a text thread already going? The field search never would have worked alone. Get the free small group curriculum. Send a voice message with your name, where you are located, and your idea for a fall small group. You will get the three page PDF back. Send a few texts. Invite two or three dads to listen to episode 446 so you are all working from the same framework. Use the side door. Extend a tangible invitation: the Spartan race in Dallas on October 17, or the fall 100 mile running challenge. ACTIVATION Block the time. Put a block on your calendar this week for deeper work on the Giant Five. Do not just listen and move on. Open Luke 15:3 through 7 with your family. Read the parable of the shepherd who leaves the 99, then tell your kids directly: this is how I feel about you. I will always come looking for you. Pause and pray first. Before stepping into any of these areas, stop and pray, the same way Jeff and his sister did before they started the search. Move the rope. Ask God for one area where you can move the rope seven or eight feet tomorrow. One pass at a time. Keep celebrating. Look at what God has done and mark it. Go deeper. DadAwesome Labs for Chapter 11 is linked below with additional activations and discussion questions. LINKS MENTIONED Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan DadAwesome 100 Mile Fall Running Challenge - https://givebutter.com/dadawesome100 Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Labs, Chapter 11: Episode 216 with Chad Johnson: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/216 Episode 217 with Chad Johnson: https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/217

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DA445 | MULTIPLIERS Part 3: The $5.5 Billion Blind Spot, Conditional Love, and a Scoreboard Set to Infinity (Jamie Winship)

Join the TEAM DADAWESOME prayer team and pray for 20-minutes this Saturtday morning: Episode Summary:: One ordinary Tuesday in the summer of 2001, Jeff sold a $200 television to a couple in a minivan — and only found out afterward that they were worth $5.5 billion and ranked 57th on the Forbes list. His unawareness didn't change their wealth by a dollar. It only changed how he treated them. In this chapter from the DadAwesome book, Jeff makes the case that most dads are doing the same thing with their own identity: parenting from poverty while holding access to infinite resources, working to earn what's already been freely given. TAKEAWAYS Your unawareness doesn't change your position. Not knowing who those customers were didn't subtract a dollar from their net worth — and forgetting you're God's son doesn't change that you are one. It only changes how you show up. The clipboard teaches conditional love. When affection gets tracked point by point, kids learn love is something they earn. Most of us carry that invisible scoreboard straight into adulthood and into our relationship with God. God set the scoreboard to infinity. Not a clipboard with changing numbers — a gymnasium scoreboard with the infinity symbol permanently displayed. You can't add to it with your wins or subtract from it with your failures. (It's why the DA logo looks the way it does.) Employee mindset and son mindset produce two different fathers. One strives, fears mistakes, measures worth by performance, and competes for attention. The other rests, lives from security, measures worth by belonging, and celebrates other people's wins. Position changes the daily stuff. Instead of managing behavior, you cultivate hearts. Instead of panicking about finances, you remember your Father owns everything. Instead of shame spirals, you experience conviction that leads to growth. TEAM DADAWESOME SPONSORS: Aleph Ventures — Twin Cities based, partnering with and supporting painting companies across the country to calibrate, deepen impact, and go further than they could alone. https://www.aleph-ventures.com/ TRACK CPA — Minnesota-based, nationwide tax, accounting, bookkeeping, and financial services. https://trackcpa.com/ QUOTES "My ignorance of their position didn't change their actual wealth. It only affected how I interacted with them." "Over time, that clipboard became a symbol of conditional love. I learned that affection was something I earned — point by point, performance by performance." "My heavenly Father has set the scoreboard to infinity. It can't increase with my successes or decrease with my failures. I can't add to infinity. I can't subtract from it." "We parent from poverty when we have access to infinite resources — striving for acceptance we already possess and working for approval that's already been given." "You're not God's employee, you're His son. And sonship is where fatherhood begins." Bonus — Jamie Winship: "Parenting is very much about the identity of the dad. The greatest gift you can give to your kids is the truth of who you are." ACTION STEPS 1. Reflection Name your clipboard. Every one of us has an area — points, grades, obedience, success, output — where we experienced conditional love. Name it, and name what pushed you toward living like an employee instead of an heir. Do the two-column audit. Am I living like an employee, or like a loved son and heir? Scarcity or abundance? (Downloadable PDF in the show notes.) Ask the two questions. Borrowed from Jamie Winship: sit alone with God, settle down, and ask, "What are the things I believe about myself that hurt me?" Name the disappointments, the failures, the places you feel like you're not enough. Then ask the follow-up: "Jesus, what do you say about me?" 2. Multiplication Send a couple of texts. Invite other dads into episode 445 and grow a circle of men who are growing alongside you. Join the prayer team. Team DadAwesome — 55 men — rides this Saturday to fuel fatherhood ministry. Give 20 minutes of prayer sometime Saturday morning, August 1st. Let's multiply in prayer. 3. Activation Start tomorrow with a declaration. Before you check your phone, before your to-do list starts talking, answer whose you are — and say it out loud, don't just think it: "I am a loved son of God." Remind your kids the scoreboard is set to infinity. Tell them, "I love you because you're mine," not because of what they accomplished. Try, "I'm so glad I get to be your dad. I'm so thankful you're my son." Take the holy pause. When you feel a critique or a scorecard-based thought forming, catch it before it comes out. Notice the moments you'd communicate more love if they performed. Ask your spouse. "Are there ways or times I communicate a lack of love because of a performance or a mistake?"

DA444 | MULTIPLIERS Part 2: Curiosity Over Chaos, Stones of Remembrance, Blessings Passed Down (Phil Comer)

SUMMARY The current chapter of dad life is not the whole story. In part two of the DadAwesome Multipliers summer series, Jeff reads Chapter 2 of the DadAwesome book, The Tale of Two Thieves, and unpacks what a three dozen cookie dough heist taught him about choosing curiosity instead of reactivity. Then Phil Comer joins with a powerful clip on giving a blessing instead of returning evil for evil, and how one choice in a tense room trickles down for generations. This episode closes with clear reflection, multiplication, and activation steps you can take this week. Key Takeaways You are living into a multigenerational story, and this chapter is only a tiny slice of it. Curiosity opens doors. Reactivity closes them. You cannot eliminate chaos, but you can shape how it unfolds. Stones of remembrance are about keeping the stories alive, not preserving the reminders. Giving a blessing when you have received a criticism changes the atmosphere of a room. Action Steps REFLECTION Look back at the chaos. When curveballs hit recently, were you reacting or responding? Were you making assumptions or staying curious and asking God what He wanted to teach you in that moment? Open your phone and look back at the last month. Scroll your photos, scroll your calendar. Where has God shown up that you have not paused long enough to call to mind? Ask the honest question. If your kids described the atmosphere you carry into the room right now, would tenderness make the list? Would softness? Would kindness? MULTIPLICATION Send the text. Reach out to seven or eight dads and invite them to journey with you through the end of August. If two or three say yes, you have moved from addition to multiplication. Pick your gathering. A text thread, a campfire, a boat, a camping trip with your kids. Make one specific invite this week. Carry a copy. Keep an extra DadAwesome book in your vehicle or your laptop bag and look for the moment to hand it to a dad and tell him you see him being awesome. ACTIVATION Start a family remembrance list. Sit down together, scroll photos and your calendar, and capture the answered prayers, the provision, the goodness, the moments God showed up. Let every kid contribute. Tell the stories out loud. At the dinner table or at bedtime, tell your kids one story of God's faithfulness in your family. Flip the switch this week. The next time a curveball comes, choose curiosity first. Laugh at the moment. Show your kids that dad is anchored and steady, not thrown off. Timestamps 03:00 This week's theme is story 04:00 Chapter 2, The Tale of Two Thieves 06:24 React or respond, curiosity or reactivity 08:49 The Dad Detective's approach, five practices 11:11 Crafting your family's story 12:45 Stones of remembrance 14:30 Building your family's remembrance list 18:21 Remember this 19:20 Setting up the Phil Comer clip 20:20 Phil Comer on tenderness, blessing, and the choices we pass down 26:45 Action steps: reflection, multiplication, activation Guest Phil Comer is a husband, father, and grandfather with 40 years of pastoral and counseling experience. After planting a church in 2004, Phil and his wife, Diane, went on to launch Intentional Parents International, a ministry equipping young parents and providing focused teaching in the spiritual training of children. This clip comes from episode 317. Links Mentioned Listen to the full conversation with Phil Comer: DadAwesome Episode 317 Intentional Parents: intentionalparents.org Spartan Team DadAwesome, Dallas, Texas, October 17 https://givebutter.com/DallasSpartan DadAwesome 100 Mile Fall Running Challenge - https://givebutter.com/dadawesome100 Leave a VOICEMAIL: https://www.speakpipe.com/DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book Top Five Quotes "The current chapter of dad life is not the whole story." "You can't eliminate chaos, but you can shape how it unfolds." "Your kids are watching how you handle the unexpected. What story are you writing?" "It's not about preserving the physical reminders. It's about keeping the stories alive." Phil Comer: "If you, with God's help, can give a blessing when you've received a criticism or a curse, it brings peace and it honors God." Tags DadAwesome, Jeff Zaugg, Phil Comer, DadAwesome Multipliers, fatherhood, christian dad, dad life, parenting, dad podcast, intentional parenting, story, legacy, generational blessing, stones of remembrance, God's faithfulness, curiosity, marriage, tenderness, scripture, Intentional Parents

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DA443 | MULTIPLIERS Part 1: Hearts Toward Heaven, Hearts Toward Home (Mark Batterson)

Welcome to Episode 443 and the kickoff of a brand new seven part summer series: the DADAWESOME MULTIPLIERS. It's a lightweight, campfire ready series built to help you spread the mission of Dad Awesome through the end of August. Each week you'll get a slice of the forthcoming Dad Awesome audiobook, a featured guest voice from the vault, real time multiplication coaching, three practical lab activation steps, and a giveaway. https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/443 In Part 1, Jeff Zaugg sets the flyover. He reads the book's dedication and preface, tracing how one casual patio question from his cousin in Arizona, "How do you stay intentional as a dad?", exposed that he was pouring growth into every area of life except fatherhood. That single unanswered question sparked a ten week experiment with twenty friends, a first episode filmed at the base of a snowy sledding hill, a name change from DadVentures to DadAwesome, and eventually a movement built on hundreds of small yeses. The episode closes with a two minute clip from Jeff's first ever interview with Mark Batterson, who wrote the forward for the book. KEY TAKEAWAYS Intentional fatherhood starts with a question, not a program. Staying awake to "How do you stay intentional as a dad?" changed everything. The mission runs on two turnings from Malachi 4:6, hearts toward heaven and hearts toward home. Read to lead. You don't need 250 books, but read a dozen so you can lead on the home front. Your mistakes are one of your greatest teaching tools. Kids learn to apologize by watching you do it. Prioritize your children, don't idolize them. Batterson names that as a big difference. Batterson learned more about the heart of the Heavenly Father from parenting his three kids than from all his degrees and seminary trips combined. Movements are built on small yeses, not one grand gesture. THIS WEEK'S LABS Reflection: Do an intentionality audit. Open your notes app or a journal and honestly assess how you're staying intentional, heart toward heaven and heart toward home. What are you reading and listening to? Does your calendar show fatherhood is an area of real pursuit? Multiplication: Be an inviter. Copy paste one text to ten dads inviting them into the seven week challenge through the end of August. Listen each week, then get together to talk about it over coffee, wings, a campfire, a run, a bike ride, or a boat. Get two or more to say yes and you've moved from addition to multiplication. Activation: Name your small yes. What yes have you been putting off that God is nudging you toward this week? A dad daughter date, a date with your wife, a follow through you keep intending but haven't done. Pick it and act on it. GIVEAWAY Send Jeff a voice message up to 90 seconds using the link in the show notes. Introduce yourself and share what this first episode stirred up, your action step, or a question. Each week one message gets randomly picked to win DadAwesome summer gear.

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DA442 | Gamifying Family Values, Manmaker Challenges, and Founding Father Faith PART 2 (Tyler Van Eps)

Send DadAwesome a VOICEMAIL (and we will send you the SMALL GROUP guide) Jenga blocks, jiu jitsu mats, and a decade vision for your family. 👊 SUMMARY What if your family values were something your kids could actually touch? In Part 2 of this paddleboard conversation, Tyler Van Eps shares how he turned a Jenga set into a discipleship tool, why physical discomfort opens the door to spiritual growth, and what it takes to build a legacy of courage in your kids. Plus, he unpacks the question God placed on his heart: what is required to be a founding father? TAKEAWAYS You can only control the outcomes so much as a dad, but you can control the inputs. Zoom out to a 90 day view to realign your family direction. Purpose, vision, and value language is abstract for kids. Make your family values tangible with tools like Jenga blocks and card decks so your kids can see, touch, and speak them. Your family values will stay the same, but the language needs to match the season your kids are in. Men grow through moments of physical and spiritual discomfort. Gatherings like Manmaker sneak spiritual vulnerability in the side door. Think in decades, not just weeks. Ask yourself what you need to be doing today to have a strong relationship with your kids as adults. Your kids will face fear, but you can build a reservoir of courage into their heritage that they can tap into for the rest of their lives. GUEST Tyler Van Eps is a husband, father, and intentional family leader passionate about making spiritual formation tangible. He and his wife, Shelly, practice quarterly whole life stewardship reviews and have built family values their kids can see and touch. Tyler is also the creator of Manmaker, a series of high intensity gatherings that challenge men toward biblical manhood through physical and spiritual growth. He and his family live in Minnesota. #DadAwesome #christiandad #dadlife #parenting #dadpodcast #fatherhood #intentionalfatherhood #familyvalues LINKS Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book Vince Miller (on DadAwesome) https://wildatheart.org/ QUOTES "I wanna be remembered as a good husband, a good father, a follower of Jesus... I wanna be remembered as a courageous person... I can't control whether my kids are afraid or scared of something, but I always want them to feel that they've got somewhere in them, somewhere in their heritage, somewhere in their spirit, a reservoir of courage that they can tap into." "I'm so dialed into what success looks like in my career... I can tell you if I'm on track, off track on anything, but I have no idea how it's all feels as a dad... you can only control the outcomes so much, but there's so much that you can control as far as the inputs." "I want these moments where we ramp up the intensity a little bit... it's immediately putting you in a space of both physical and spiritual discomfort and a little bit of vulnerability. But for men, the physical discomfort almost overrides your awareness of how spiritually uncomfortable you might be." "I was challenged for the first time to think in like a decade thing... when I think about wanting to have a strong relationship with my kids as adults, what are the things that I need to be doing today to set the tone for that?" "Personally I wanted an environment where it felt like I don't know what's gonna come out of this. I don't know when a guy's gonna step up to this blocking sled. I don't know what he's gonna say right before he pushes this thing down ten yards downfield."

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DA441 | Follow Jesus, Live With Enthusiasm, and Fight for Family (Tyler Van Eps PART 1)

Join the up coming DadAwesome ACCELERATOR Coaching Cohort: https://www.dadawesome.org/coaching SUMMARY: What happens when two dads strap GoPros to paddleboards and hit the lake at 5:45 in the morning? In this episode, Jeff sits down with longtime friend Tyler Van Eps for a raw, reflective conversation about intentional fatherhood, family rhythms, and what it looks like to lead your kids with purpose. From milestone trips to weekly family huddles to quarterly prayer rhythms, Tyler shares the experiments his family has been running... FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS Fatherhood moves through three distinct seasons of investment: physical, time, and emotional, and knowing which season you're in changes how you show up. A weekly family huddle built around purpose, vision, and values gives your kids a compass they will eventually use to call out greatness in each other. Milestone trips don't have to be expensive or elaborate because what your kids remember most is being pulled out of the normal lineup and seen as an individual. The goal is not to control your family's calendar but to steward it, which means learning when to add things and when to subtract them without shame. Adopting a posture of exploration in your fatherhood is far more sustainable than building rigid rules, because it invites your family into the journey with you. TOP QUOTES "Instead of being an amazing leader and a decent dad, I want to be an amazing dad and a decent leader." "Follow Jesus, live with enthusiasm, and fight for family. The fight for family came out of, hey guys, we gotta stop fighting with our family and we gotta figure out a way to fight for our family." "There has to be a surrender that's kind of fundamental to the way that you approach fatherhood and family and faith." "Soaking in the moments of peace and allowing them to be there with the assumption that disruptions are around the corner." "If I'm not a steward of the time God's given me with my kids, there are these core memories that I could just be blazing by without even realizing it." GUEST Tyler Van Eps is a husband, father of four, and Senior Vice President at the National Christian Foundation Twin Cities, where he serves families and business owners around the stewardship of generational wealth and kingdom-minded generosity. A longtime friend of the Dad Awesome community, Tyler has joined the show multiple times including a campfire conversation and a tree fort recording. He is passionate about leading with purpose, living with enthusiasm, and building a family culture rooted in faith. LINKS Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book

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DA440 | Emotional Detachment, Unhurried Presence, and Pointing Your Kids to the True Source (Dad Year in Review PART 2)

Your emotional detachment might be quietly wounding the people you love most. In PART 2 of our Father's Day LOOK-BACK, Jeff resurfaces five more conversations that hit different the second time around. ✅ Why your kids can feel when you've checked out emotionally ✅ How to stop pointing your kids to yourself as the source of life ✅ The dad who never raised his voice and what it did to his son ✅ What "unhurried presence" actually looks like in everyday moments ✅ The hard truth about emotional regulation every dad needs to hear INVITATION Join Team Awesomeness (monthly support team) at any level from $7/month to $1000/month... We have 41 families committed to fueling the ministry DadAwesome as we head toward celebrating 9 years of AWESOMENESS this coming winter: https://www.dadawesome.org/give SUMMARY In Part 2 of this Father's Day look-back series, Jeff Zaugg resurfaces five more powerful conversations from the past dad year, featuring Jeremy Pryor, Ted Cunningham, Pastor Tim Timberlake, Mac Lake, and Seth Dahl. The clips cover a dad's superpower of emotional detachment and how it can quietly wound the people he loves most, the faulty input-output theory of parenting and why God is the only true source of life, the transformative power of tone and speaking to the king in your child instead of the fool, the gift of unhurried presence and what it looks like to truly savor your kids, and the hard truth that a man who can't regulate his emotions forces his family to do it for him. This episode is a flyover packed with activation, challenge, and the kind of dad wisdom that sticks. KEY QUOTES "My kids can actually feel that. Like, if something were to happen to me, I think dad would be the least affected." — Jeremy Pryor, Ep. 415 "My source is Jesus, not you." — Ted Cunningham, Ep. 417 "In us we have both a fool and a king. The one that you address is the one that will respond." — Pastor Tim Timberlake, Ep. 424 "A posture of unhurried presence. So often we are present with our kids, but we're not present with our kids." — Mac Lake, Ep. 435 "A man who can't regulate his emotions forces his wife and kids to do it for him." — Seth Dahl, Ep. 429 TAKEAWAYS Your emotional detachment is a superpower that can become a weapon. Dads are wired to disconnect under pressure, and that's often a gift. But when that same skill gets used to keep your family at arm's length, your kids feel it. The question isn't how attached you feel. It's whether they feel attached to you. You were never meant to be the source. Pouring into your kids so they pour back into you is a trap. Your job, according to Deuteronomy 6, is to point them every single day to the only true source of life. Fire yourself. Fire your kids. God in heaven is the source. Tone is one of the greatest gifts a dad can give. Pastor Tim Timberlake's father never raised his voice, never disciplined from anger or frustration, and the love in his tone did the convicting. Your size, your volume, your first response, those things mark your kids. Speak to the king in them, not the fool. Unhurried presence is a posture, not a schedule. Mac Lake leaves adult conversations to throw a football for 60 minutes if that's what his grandkids want. The shift is simple but hard: let your kids be the thing that matters most in the moment, not an interruption to what actually matters. Emotional self-control is a fruit your family gets to eat. When you're getting triggered by your six-year-old, you're not parenting. You're asking them to regulate you. The Holy Spirit wants to grow self-control in you so your family is nourished by it. Your heart is upstream to everything in your home. LINKS Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book Jeremy Pryor — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/415 Ted Cunningham — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/417 Pastor Tim Timberlake — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/424 Seth Dahl — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/429 Mac Lake — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/435

DA439 | The Dad Year in Review: Strength in Weakness, Order Out of Chaos & Being Tight with Jesus (Part 1)

It's Father's Day week and we're doing something special. In Part 1 of The Dad Year Lookback, Jeff Zaugg revisits five conversations that stirred something deeper this year, featuring Dave Brickey, Lance Welch, Dr. Jake Smith, Chris Cirullo, and Craig Allen Cooper. ✅ Why your weakness as a dad might be your greatest strength ✅ The difference between raising kids in the gap vs. the gain ✅ How to stop dismissing your own feelings before you dismiss your kids' ✅ God's call for dads to be bringers of order, not complainers of disorder ✅ The secret gift of a minivan that turned an atheist toward Jesus You don't have to do the miracles. You just have to be tight with the man who did. 🙏 SUPPORTING DadAwesome Write a REVIEW on Amazon for the book DADAWESOME Join the 40 families who support DADAWESOME Monthly (from $7/month to $1000/month) - Learn More SUMMARY In this Father's Day special, Jeff Zaugg revisits five of the most impactful conversations from the past "dad year"... Featuring voices like Pastor Dave Brickey, Dr. Jake Smith, and Craig Allen Cooper. The clips explore the transformative power of fatherly weakness and repentance, the damage of performance-based parenting, the importance of emotional self-awareness, the biblical call to create order in family life, and the ripple effect of quiet, Jesus-fueled generosity. It's a looking-back episode that's really about looking up — because the best thing a dad can do for his kids is stay close to the One who can do what we can't. TAKEAWAYS Your weakness as a dad is not a liability — it's a bridge. When you humbly repent and admit you need Jesus, your kids see who their real Savior is. Raising kids in "the gap" (measuring what they fell short of) creates a performance identity that damages their sense of worth. Celebrate the gain — the progress they've made. Defensiveness and dismissiveness toward your kids often starts with dismissing your own feelings. Learning to name what's going on inside you is the first step to staying steady. God designed dads to be bringers of order — not complainers of disorder. Reverse engineer a family vision, create systems, and name the chaos so your kids can learn to do the same. You don't have to do the miracles. You just have to be tight with the man who did. Small, unseen acts of generosity done close to Jesus can change the trajectory of another family forever. _*]:min-w-0 gap-3 standard-markdown"> QUOTES "My strength points my kids to me as their savior, but my weakness points them to who my savior is." — Pastor Dave Brickey, Ep. 391 "You lead with your strengths, but you connect through your weaknesses." — Pastor Dave Brickey, Ep. 391 "My heavenly Father has set the scoreboard to infinity." — Jeff Zaugg, reflecting on Ep. 394 with Lance Welch "I don't get to choose what feelings I have. I only choose what I do with them." — Dr. Jake Smith, Ep. 398 "He can't walk on water — but he just might be tight with the man that did." — Walker Hayes (via Craig Allen Cooper, Ep. 418) LINKS Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book Dave Brickey — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/391 Lance Welch — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/394 Dr. Jake Smith — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/398 Chris Cirullo — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/410 Craig Allen Cooper — https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/418

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DA438 | No Scoreboard at Home, Becoming the Man God Designed (Gabe Biedenbaugh) PART 2

Book - Get the recently released DADAWESOME book on Amazon. Amazon Review - leave a short Amazon review to help more dads learn about the book. ---------- There's NO scoreboard for a healthy marriage—and no quarterly report on your kids' souls. 📊🚫 Gabe Biedenbaugh is back for Part 2, and this conversation goes deep on what really matters at home. ✅ Why chasing a "scoreboard" at home is a trap (and what to measure instead) ✅ Covering your daughters vs. sending out your sons—a powerful picture of spiritual authority ✅ The eulogy drill: a simple exercise that will change how you lead your family True legacy isn't how you're remembered. It's what your family still does when you're gone. 🔥 SUMMARY There's no quarterly report for your marriage and no scoreboard for your kids' souls—so why do so many dads keep looking for one? In part two of this conversation, Gabe Biedenbaugh exposes the scoreboard trap and shares the vision statements that guide his marriage and parenting. Plus, he unpacks a powerful perspective on covering your daughters versus sending out your sons, and why true legacy isn't how you're remembered—it's what your family still does when you're gone. TAKEAWAYS It's a trap to look for a scoreboard at home. Winning at home is consistency, owning your mistakes, and asking for forgiveness quickly. The best gift you can give your children is a healthy marriage. Aim to be more in love when your kids leave than you are right now. Sons are sent out to start new families; daughters remain under their father's spiritual covering until that authority is transferred at the wedding. The foundation of your life matters far more than the facade. A bridge that looks good but lacks integrity is a bridge no one should cross. Identity is not something to be discovered—it's something to be received from God. Legacy isn't how you're remembered. It's what your family still carries on—in faith, discipline, and character—when you're gone. GUEST Gabe Biedenbaugh is a pastor, men's ministry leader, and the founder of The Forge, an online ministry helping men find clear, God-given direction for their lives. Every Friday, he sends out his "Forge Fridays" email, and he created the 21 Days guided reset to help men establish direction and become who God designed them to be. Gabe and his wife have four children—three sons and a daughter—and live in St. Augustine, Florida. QUOTES "There is no scoreboard for a healthy marriage. There's no quarterly report of how your kids are doing in their soul." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "Winning at home is being consistent at home." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "The best gift you can give your children is a healthy marriage." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "The foundation matters so much more than what you put on the facade." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "Identity is not something to be discovered—it's something to be received." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "Legacy is not how you're remembered. It's what your family still does when you're gone." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "I want dads to be tough and tender." — Gabe Biedenbaugh "Motivation can last for a season, but motivation will not sustain you. Inspiration will." — Gabe Biedenbaugh LINKS Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book Gabe Biedenbaugh's Substack - THE FORGE- https://theforgemen.substack.com/ Reverb Church

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DA437 | Son, Come Home: Shame, Freedom & Fatherhood (Part 1) — Gabe Biedenbaugh

Join the summer DADAWESOME ACCELERATOR 6-week coaching group: https://www.dadawesome.org/coaching SUMMARY Pastor Gabe Biedenbaugh opens up about the generational faith handed down to him, the shame that nearly disqualified him from his calling, and the "you're not enough" lie so many men carry. In part one of this Father's Day conversation, he shows why vulnerability, brotherhood, and a heart to serve are the way home. TAKEAWAYS The legacy of faith can start with one man stepping in — Gabe's grandfather died young, and other men fathered his dad. Shame attacks your identity; conviction shows you the way out, condemnation just says you're the problem. Beat the lie head-on: "I'm not enough, but Christ in me is more than enough." Vulnerability in real brotherhood is where men get unstuck and find freedom. A dad living free brings joy home; serving (not being served) is the posture — "leaders are into towels, not titles." QUOTES "Satan's goal isn't to tell you a blatant lie — it's to tell you something so close to the truth you believe it." "My job isn't to fill someone else's cup — it's to empty mine, and let God do what He wants with it." "Conviction says you've made a mistake, but here's the way out. Condemnation says, no — you're the problem." "When you have shame in your life, it impacts the way you bring your best, or lack thereof, to your family." "I want to walk into my home with the attitude of Jesus, who took off his garment to wash feet." LINKS Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 DADAWESOME book: dadawesome.org/book Gabe Biedenbaugh's Substack - THE FORGE- https://theforgemen.substack.com/ Reverb Church

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DA436 | Coaching Boys into Manhood, Reclaiming Play, and the Questions That Will Anchor Your Next Three Years (Alan Briggs)

FEATURED Join DADAWESOME DAY - Monday June 1st, 2026 - text "book" to (651) 370-8618 to learn more and receive updates on Monday, June 1st. Join the next DADAWESOME ACCELERATOR coaching group - APPLY HERE SUMMARY Most men are getting lived by their lives instead of actually living them. In this conversation, Alan Briggs unpacks how a life of constant escape leaves us empty at the end of the day, and what it looks like to design something we can actually engage with instead. From Yes Days with your kids to preparing for the car ride home the way you'd prepare for a business meeting, Alan brings practical insight that will reshape how you show up as a dad this week. TAKEAWAYS ---The best dads aren't the ones with the most time. They're the ones who prepare for the small moments with the same intentionality they bring to work. ---A coming of age year for your son doesn't require waking up at 4 a.m. It just requires showing up consistently and inviting other trusted men to speak life into him. ---Celebrate who your kids actually are instead of trying to make them love what you love. Curiosity is the doorway to connection. ---We were built for both meaningful work and real rest. Without a healthy theology of both, we swing between burnout and apathy. ---The question that changes everything: What is the good life for you and your family three years from now? GUEST Alan Briggs is a coach, author, and adventurer based in Colorado Springs. He runs two and a half companies, including a coworking space, and spends his days helping leaders find a lighter, more sustainable way to live and work. He's the author of multiple books, including his latest resource on anti-burnout, and the host of his own podcast for leaders. Alan and his wife are raising four kids ranging from 12 to 23, including two adopted children. He loves the mountains, disc golf with his son, and learning to cheer for his kids in the worlds they love most. QUOTES "Most men are getting lived by their lives. They are not living their lives. They are letting choices make them. They are not making intentional choices." "I prepare for business meetings. Do I prepare that well for a date with my wife, a date with my daughter, a car ride? Almost always, no." "You don't have to be up at 4 a.m. with your kid. You don't have to do it every day. But do something that affirms you've got what it takes." "Celebrate exactly who they are and exactly what they love doing, instead of trying to make them love the things that you love doing." "We are not the sum of what we carry. Our identity and who we are loved by is so much more important than what we are as dads." LINKS Join the DadAwesome Prayer Team: Text "pray" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome 7-Day Video Series: dadawesome.org/book DadAwesome Podcast: dadawesome.org/podcast Free Chapter + Intro Video Series: dadawesome.org/book Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text "Dad" to (651) 370-8618 Dad Awesome book: dadawesome.org/book Alan Briggs - H2LEADERSHIP Alan's BOOKS

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